The Moon fire Heir

No Longer Mrs. Cooley: The Architect's Return

Xiao Xiaosu

I went to the City Clerk’s office for a routine copy of my marriage license to finalize a trust fund audit. I expected a simple piece of paper, but the clerk’s pitying look told me my entire life was a lie. "The license was never finalized, Ms. Oliver. In the eyes of the state, you are single." The three-hundred-guest wedding at the Plaza and the Vogue features meant nothing. My husband, Gray Cooley, had intentionally filed the documents with a "procedural defect" so he could discard me without a legal divorce. Moments later, an iCloud invite titled "Our Little Secret" popped up on my screen. It was a photo of my best friend, Brylee, holding a positive pregnancy test at our Hamptons estate. Gray’s text to her was the final blow: "Happy anniversary, babe. This baby is the best gift. Once the trust unlocks today, we’re done with the charade." I soon discovered they were even stealing my career, reassigning my architectural masterpiece to Brylee while preparing my eviction notice. Gray's mother called me a "barren mule" in a leaked recording, mocking the infertility I suffered after saving Gray’s life in a construction accident. I wasn't a wife; I was a three-year placeholder used to secure his inheritance. How could the man I bled for treat me like a disposable prop? How could my best friend carry his child while pretending to comfort me through my darkest moments? The betrayal burned until it turned into a cold, hard stone of fury. I didn't cry. Instead, I walked into the penthouse of the Barretts, the Cooleys' most powerful rivals. I signed a marriage contract with Kane Barrett, the man the tabloids called the "Beast of Wall Street." "I want a wedding," I told his father, my voice steady and lethal. "Bigger than the one I had with Gray." If they wanted me gone, they would have to watch me become the woman who owns their world.

Modern Revenge Divorce Revenge Female-centered Divorce

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Selena's POV

My eyes fluttered open, and I slowly took in my surroundings. Confusion filled my mind.

Why was I in the forest?

The full moon was high in the indigo blanket that was the sky. My eyes roamed around, trying to gauge where I was.

I was lying on a pile of stones; the hardness of it pierced into my skin. My breath quickened. What was going on?

I squirmed, trying to sit up. It was only then that I realized my arms were tightly bound to my body. In a panic, I brought my gaze to my legs. They were tied together. My heart rate quickened, and despite the chill in the air, sweat trickled down my spine.

"HELLO," I called out, hoping there was somebody, anybody out there who could get me out of this. Silence responded back to me.

With wide eyes, my chest heaved up and down in panic as a chill ran through my entire being at the thought that I was in serious danger.

Not only that, I couldn't feel it. My powers. The familiar energy that I usually felt in my core was...gone.

Dread filled my bones.

A sound pulled me out of my thoughts, and I whipped my head to the source. Relief flooded through me when I saw that it was Damon. He was coming out from the shadows of the bushes, dressed in a black robe. That was odd.

I released a shaky breath. "Damon. What's going on? I was on the couch one minute, and as I opened my eyes, I found that I'm here."

My mate moved closer, taking casual steps as he did. The breeze of the night tousled his blonde hair, and as he stepped closer, I saw it. The menacing look on his face.

My heart dropped. "D-Damon, what-"

"The almighty Irene Blackthorn," he sneered. "Weak and useless, like you were always meant to be."

My eyes widened as I took in shaky breaths. "What is going on?"

The scowl on his face deepened, his brown eyes empty. "I always hated you, Irene. You were just too blindsided by the mate bond and your love for me to see that." His jaw clenched. "You were too annoyingly perfect, carrying the pack on your back as if it wasn't you, then no one else."

My breath hitched with every word that left his mouth, as if they were venom.

"And to top it off, the moon goddess had to give you those powers of yours." He gave a bitter laugh. "I bet you always felt like a god when you used them, huh? You always felt like you were untouchable, that no one could stop you, right?" The grin on his face stretched, but it didn't reach his eyes.

Tears were at the edge of my eyes as I took in every word he said, every word that pierced my heart like daggers. "Why are you doing this? Let me go, Damon, and we can talk this out." My voice shook as I spoke.

He scoffed, "You think I'm stupid? This is a one-time chance for me, and I can't afford to waste it." He removed a silver knife from beneath his cloak with a wicked smirk.

My head shook slowly as a tear dropped from my face. "You can't kill me. If you do, you'll die too because of the bond, Damon. We can talk about this?" I tried to let him see reason as the panic inside me welled stronger.

I closed my eyes to tap into the non-existent energy that was my power. Nothing. I opened my eyes, then shut them again, trying once more.

A dark chuckle escaped Damon's mouth. "Don't bother. Your powers are diminished. They're still there, but they're pretty much useless right now," he said as he twirled the silver dagger in the air, the blade bouncing off the reflection of the moon.He looked into the distance and yelled, "You can come out now."

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